Pregnant Mom Sleeps At Bus Stop With Toddler After Tigerair Refused Her Entry

A pregnant mom was forced to spend part of the night on the street with her two-year-old toddler and husband after being turned away by Tigerair. Thus, the airline is now investigating the incident.

Aileen Chand, who was 34 weeks pregnant, was traveling with her husband Sharneet and son Jacob. However, the pregnant mom and her family were forced to spend hours in a bus shelter on Sunday after two airline employees said the pregnant mom is invalid to fly back to Melbourne, despite her having a medical certificate, according to the report of The Courier Mail.

Talking about the incident, Mrs. Chand said to Yahoo 7 she handed the medical certificate to the staff of Tigerair and it was the same certificate the pregnant mom presented when she flew to Sydney only two days earlier. However, one of the staff members said she is only allowed to fly if she can get a new certificate because the pregnant mom was one day into her 35^th week.

"The staff suggested my son and husband fly back to Melbourne without me and I became very distressed," the pregnant mom added. "I don't drive and never travel alone."

Mr. Chand said they also asked the Tigerair if they could accommodate his family as his pregnant wife and his toddler were very exhausted from the trip and they had no remaining money to book for a new ticket, but his request was denied. Hence, they were forced to wait at a bus stop for two hours until one of his friends arrived to pick them up.

Tigerair, however, said the decision was based on the airline's policy: 35 weeks pregnant women are not allowed to fly. "All airline policies are different which is why it is important to check the relevant detail on the website," the spokeswoman added, as per Herald Sun.

The airline further added that they will review the matter to address any areas that need improvement. Tigerair also said they will contact the Chand family to offer a full refund for the travel expenses.